Spinal osteochondroma: diagnostic imaging and treatment. Case reports

Background: Osteochondromas are benign bony tumours, with only 1 to 4% being located in the spine. It occurs more frequently in the cervical spine, with C2 being the vertebra most affected. The neurological presentation is slow due to the growth characteristics of the tumour. Computed axial tomography is the reference method for diagnosis. Surgical management is indicated for patients with neurological impairment or pain. Clinical case: The first case presents a 21-year-old male with osteochondroma located in the spinous processes of L2, L3 and L4. The second case is a 20-year-old female with multiple osteochondromatosis with tumours at the right lateral mass of Cl, with extension to C2 and tumours on the spinous processes of C5 and C7. Both patients presented with painful symptoms, which were resolved after surgical resection of the tumours. Conclusions: The rarity of these conditions, relevance of a clinical-radiographic diagnosis, and considerations required for surgical treatment are discussed here. (C) 2015 Academia Mexicana de Cirugia A.C. Published by Masson Doyma Mexico S.A. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.